Ranger Trials and an Elf
by Dunedain of the North
Summary: When Legolas agrees to accompany Strider and the Rangers on a patrol in Northern Ithilien it is not only his enemies he should be looking out for. Expect an Enraged elf, devious rangers and some not very well thought out plans.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Thanks to my beta Mrs King Aragorn for all the help and advice**

**And to all you guys who started this, you know how I feel about you.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings or any of the characters or places featured in this story. Written for entertainment purposes and not for profit.**

Chapter 1-

Rain was cascading down in torrents on the weather- beaten company. "Why did I agree to this", came the miserable retort from the bedraggled looking elf at the back of the company. The leader of the group, a dark, tall man with steely grey eyes let out a defeated sigh. "Legolas, by the Valar if you do not stop your whining", his hand moved subconsciously to the hilt of his sword. If only he could 'accidently' strike his friend, that way he might be able to cease the complaining for at least a few hours.

His musings were interrupted however when he felt a hand grip his shoulder tightly. "Chieftain, I think Thranduil would be most grieved to find his youngest son had been injured by your hand". At this, Strider removed his hand from the hilt of his sword and turned around to look into the eyes of the ranger who had just brought him back to his senses. "Halbarad, I do wish you would just call me Strider; however I know your words to be true. I could not possibly injure Thranduil's Tithen las". These last words were said with so much malice Sauron himself could not have said it with less conviction. Legolas flinched, oh how he hated his Ada for that nickname.

That was the only reason he was there in the first place. As heir to the throne of Mirkwood, Thranduil insisted that Legolas confine himself to the palace walls and study the politics of the realm. Legolas, however, was determined that if that be his fate, they might as well just lock him in the dungeons now. He was a warrior. He was at his happiest when he was locked in battle, back to back with his friends. He didn't have time to listen to the minor squabbles of others over land and livestock. And so, in one of his less thought out plans, he escaped to join the rangers.

Strider looked around at his other companions. Each wore the garb of a ranger. A travel worn cloak of dark green heavy cloth was draped over each of their shoulders with their hoods drawn to shield their faces from the relentless downpour of rain. Despite their best efforts to conceal it, Strider knew that they were beginning to suffer from the long exposure to the rain; their shoulders were slumped over and many were struggling to hide a shiver.

After making a mental note to scold his companions for concealing their distress and berating himself for not noticing earlier he resolved that it would be in all their best interests to seek shelter before one of them became ill. He turned again to Halbarad "I think it wise to seek shelter from this weather my friend". This was met with an approving nod. However, a certain elf at the back of the company tried and failed to stifle a laugh "Feeling the cold, HUMAN". Strider shrugged off the elf's response and regained his position at the front of the company. So quietly that his comment could not be discerned even by keen elven hearing he silently swore revenge "You laugh now mellon nin…"

* * *

The company travelled in silence for the next hour, not one ranger willing to disturb their leader in his agitated state. Each would rather face the hoard of spiders dwelling in Mirkwood than face the wrath of their leader. Even a very stubborn Legolas refrained from making any more comments- much to the surprise of a smirking Strider ,who was looking forward to watching Elrohir and Elladan's faces when he told them that he managed to silence the infamous Mirkwood prince.

This smirk however did not go unnoticed by Astald, who sent Strider a knowing glance. He had seen that smile before. The night before he had been attacked and blindfolded only to wake up gagged and tied to a tree in the wild. Three days it took him to walk back to the camp. He would have got back quicker had he not encountered a rather vicious lonely warg, with only a stick to defend himself. He smiled fondly as he remembered his companions shocked faces as he staggered into camp smeared with blood and puncture wounds. When he arrived he only managed a strangled gasp before the large amount of blood that was seeping from the gashes on his sides overwhelmed him and he gave in to the encroaching darkness. When he finally woke his sleep-glazed eyes had focused on a dark form kneeling at his side. He grasped his chest and let out a loud hiss as a shooting pain racked his entire body as he tried to haul himself to his feet.

The figure, that he could make out to be Strider placed a firm hand on his shoulder and forced him back to a lying position. "Stay down" he said with a calm yet authorative voice. His voice soon took a more playful tone however when he added "We were starting to think you'd gotten lost".

Astald narrowed his eyes in confusion. Why would they think he was lost? He had been attacked and...

His thoughts were interrupted when a voice from behind him chuckled and replied "Now come on Strider, it took you nearly a week to get back". Strider sighed heavily, "You know very well Halbarad, that YOU and the other rangers tied me to a tree next to an orc outpost without a weapon. Once they cut me down they dragged me half way through Pelargir before I managed to gnaw through my bonds"

Astald remembered how his eyes had widened in horror when he realized what had happened the night of his 'attack' on his second day of travelling with the rangers. He had taken part in the rangers initiation trial.

* * *

Astald strayed from his thoughts as the company halted in a small sheltered clearing. Strider looked over to observe Legolas scanning the area for threats. The elf nodded his head and Strider visibly relaxed at his friend's assurance.

The rangers quickly busied themselves with collecting what dry wood they could find and Legolas announced that he would catch the evening's supper. Once the elf had left, insisting that a human would only slow him down, Strider called his rangers to a hollow where their conversation could not be observed. "It will take all five off us to catch him off guard" came the hushed voice of Halbarad who was eyeing his surroundings cautiously looking for any sign of their target. After five more minutes of carefully concealed whispers Strider was met by four nodding faces as the plan was set.

If the elf wanted to become a ranger, he would first have to prove himself.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Thanks again to my beta BlackShaftedArrow for all the help.**

**And to you guys that have helped me along the way, *unsheathes sword* You still know how I feel about you.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or places from Lord of the Rings. But I do own Astald!**

* * *

Chapter 2-

Legolas returned back to camp to find the rangers huddled around a slowly burning campfire. Each man was wringing out his clothes and talking jovially. He could feel the subdued excitement within the group. Normally, he would have let it go, but when the rangers were acting suspiciously, not to mention, STRIDER'S rangers, Legolas couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. They were his brother's in arms, his friends-

'Iluve eithel mellon nin?" This was followed by a sly smile. Legolas didn't like this, he didn't like this one bit; and he swore upon the light of Earendil that he was going to find out what they were upto. For now though, he would play their game. "Uma hannon le, Strider" he replied, trying to mask the hostility in his voice.

Strider turned from where he was seated next to the campfire to the tall lithe figure glaring back at him "A successful hunt I see" he said waiving his hand casually to the five rabbits that were hanging from his friend's tight grasp. Legolas looked down, he had completely forgotten about the ranger's supper he was now holding.

With nothing better to do, he threw the animals at an unsuspecting Astald who turned only for the rabbits to connect with his startled face making a soft 'thud' and sending him sprawling to the floor. Legolas burst out in uncontrollable fits of laughter. Between heaves of breath he managed to choke out the words, "A.. mighty ranger... felled by... a few rabbits!" The rangers that were watching the scene couldn't hold their composure any longer at these words and soon howls of laughter could be heard all around the clearing.

As Strider consoled a sulking Astald, Legolas wondered what it was that Strider told the young man, as Astald was visibly calmer and looked almost happy at his friends words. With all signs of his former anger and distress draining away from his features. Legolas did not have time to dwell on this, however, as a steaming hot bowl of rabbit stew was thrust in front of him: which he graciously accepted with a wide grin. Although the Rangers were not as skilled as the cooks back in Mirkwood, they could make a pretty decent stew. And for that, Legolas was grateful.

Once the rangers had finished the rest of the stew, talk soon turned to who would take the first watch that night. Although the patrol had not encountered any servants of the enemy yet they knew that any lack of vigilance could cost them their lives. Besides, it was the perfect opportunity to ambush their pointy eared friend.

When no volunteers were forthcoming Legolas sighed, "I suppose the first born will have to protect the adan's".Strider snorted. "Got something to say Estel?" Legolas smiled innocently as he watched his friends face fall at the use of his childhood name.

Halbarad, fearing that Strider would jeapordise the plan just to spite the elf, located a weather worn leather pack next to the fire and rummaged through it until he found what he was looking for. He laid the mat next to his and called over to Strider, "Chi... Strider" he quickly amended, "It's getting dark, you should get some sleep". Strider looked around. It was getting late and they didn't have long if they wanted this to work, so begrudgingly, he left Legolas and made the short walk to join Halbarad, where he laid down on his mat.

Legolas watched as the rest of the rangers soon followed their leader and got their heads down for the night. He didn't have to wake Strider for the next watch for a few hours, so he decided to have a wander through the forest and search for some sticks he could fashion into arrows. He was low on arrows since he joined Elrohir and Elladan on a patrol to dispatch orcs from the borders of Imladris and he did not have time to visit the armoury in Mirkwood, so, for now, he would make do with what he could find.

Back at camp, the rangers could hardly believe their luck. Usually the wood elf would climb up a tree to keep his vigil, but for some reason he decided to venture into the forest surrounding the clearing.

After carefully watching the treeline for any movement, Strider signaled for the rangers to pull the hoods of their cloaks over their heads and each obscured the lower part of their face with a bandana. They were no longer rangers. They were bandits, and their victim was all alone.

* * *

Rope and cloth in hand, Strider approached his victim. As the most agile of the group- after Legolas of course, he had the best chance of getting close enough to disarm the elf, so it was decided that he would complete this task alone. The rest of the rangers approached from the other direction, making sure to keep their distance. Legolas was a battle hardened warrior and had great skill with his blades, should the worst happen, Strider would need all the help he could get in defending himself.

He was trying hard to focus on everything that his adopted father had told him about walking through the forest undetected. Aided by the darkness, he soon found himself behind the huddled form of his friend who was contentedly sharpening what looked to be a stick with one of his knives. Strider placed the edge of his sword to the back of Legolas' neck. Legolas instantly froze. In his deep concentration he had barely noticed that someone was approaching him from behind ."An elf, caught off guard", said a triumphant yet muffled voice. Legolas could not see his attacker but he could feel that the corners of the mans lips were curling in delight. He knew it was a man because the voice had a soft tone to it- a quality that the orcs' gruff voices did not posses. "Drop your weapons", Legolas knew that he was probably more skilled than the man, but in his current position the man could slice him through before he could move to make an attempt with his own knives, so he cast the knife he was holding to the floor and unsheathed his other knife, which promptly joined the other in front of him. He went to reach behind for his bow and quiver but sighed as he realized that they were still propped up next to the tree where he left them before he went to search for some sticks. Taking first watch without his weapon. Strider would never let him forget this.

Legolas was unsurprised as a cloth was bound over his eyes. Well if he was going to be captured, at least it wasn't by an amateur-that, at least, helped his damaged pride at being caught and also made him think that, maybe, it would be a bit harder to escape than he first thought.

Legolas' thoughts were interrupted when he felt multiple pairs of hands tightly securing his hand behind his back. So... he brought friend's. This could be interesting.

Strider was surprised at his friends next action, he was thrashing around and cursing in Dwarvish, Elvish and Entish. He was sure Elladan and Elrohir had taught him most of them and no doubt Thranduil had added a few. He only recognised some of the choice words, but made a mental note to ask Legolas to teach him some as he was sure they would come in handy later.

It took the combined strength of all five of them to subdue the elf. Despite having his hands tied behind his back he could still put up a good fight. Once he realized it was no use however, he stopped struggling and vowed to save his strength until the opportune moment. Surely Strider would wake to take over the next watch soon. Until then, he just had to stay alive.

* * *

Legolas was hauled to his feet, but stubbornly, refused to move, so the 'bandits' did all they could in that situation and dragged him through the forest instead.

Legolas couldn't tell how long they had been moving, but as his captor's pace slowed down, he figured it must have been at least a few hours. Surely the rangers would be looking for him now. He was pretty sure his captors had made no attempts to conceal their tracks on their journey, and the usually graceful, elf had dragged his heels, so he didn't think it would take the rangers too long to find him.

After what seemed like two minutes to Legolas , but was probably actually a few more hours, his captors halted in their journey. Legolas could only imagine what brutal torture would be inflicted on him by these men. Before he could demand what his captives wanted from him however, he felt a sharp sudden pain in the back of his head and his vision started swimming as he gave in to the darkness.

* * *

Strider checked his friend's elf was out cold. He smiled, now that was easier. Then, after carefully settling Legolas' unconscious form on the ground, he turned to Astald. "It took Halbarad three attempts before you went down and in the end he ended up hitting you so hard we thought we'd killed you"Aragorn said thoughtfully as if recalling a fond memory. Astald visibly paled and rubbed the back of his head. He could still remember the splitting headache he felt when he woke up and sent a sympathetic glance towards the elf sprawled across the floor infront of him. He didn't envy the elf for how he would feel when he woke up.

Feeling that they no longer had a need for their disguises the rangers quickly returned their bandanas and cloaks to their packs. Now for the tricky part, deciding on Legolas' trial. They knew that tying him to a tree would be of no use as he was a wood elf and would soon talk the tree into releasing him. No, they needed something wood elf proof. Strider looked around his surroundings for inspiration. He could see no orc settlements nearby so he settled for the next best thing...a cave.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Thanks again to my beta BlackShaftedArrow (aka Arrow) for the continued support.**

**To those of you who favourite/followed/reviewed, Thank you so much.**

**And to you guys, the lovely, horrible people that started this. This is all your fault! **

**Disclaimer: Contrary to popular belief, I don't own any characters or places from Lord of the Rings. But I still own Astald.**

**So, on with the final chapter**

* * *

Chapter 3-

Strider hauled his unconscious friend over his shoulder, adjusting his pack so that his friend's head nestled comfortably against it. He took even more care than usual walking through the forest. He felt guilty for doing this to his best friend, but he would understand, right? Strider laughed at that thought. The elf would hunt the Ranger down and make him pay for what he did. He was a stubborn wood elf and not even an army of orcs would suffer his wrath.

Strider looked back at his burden, "I'm going to be killed". He said in a voice akin to fear.

The rangers laughed. "Don't worry Strider. We'll abandon you to your fate when the elf comes." Halbarad said in mock sympathy. Astald was quick to add, "I'm almost tempted to help the elf to see how many ways he tries to kill you." The deathly glare that the rangers received only added to their mirth. Strider just ignored their laughter, lost in his thoughts. How many ways could the elf kill him?

The company's laughter subsided once they reached the mouth of the cave. The journey was so merry they had almost forgotten the reason why they had set out on the walk. Ever so carefully, Strider settled his friend down against the furthest wall of the cave and removed his blindfold. With a silent nod the rangers retreated out of the cave until they were all assembled outside the entrance. Then they set to their next task, trapping their friend inside.

The cave was crudely carved, dug to offer temporary shelter, so it didn't take the rangers long to collapse the entrance. Strider watched as his friend was obscured from his view by the rockfall until all that could be seen was a wall of stone, blocking the only means of the elf's escape.

He sighed, "There's no going back now, I'm definitely going to be killed". He only hoped that the wall lasted long enough for him to write his will.

Legolas groaned. He enjoyed the few hazy minutes he had between dream and reality before he was grounded to painful reality by the sharp painful throbbing in his head. He lifted his hand to rub his temples when he realized he couldn't. Why were his hands bound together? Come to think of it, why were his legs also bound together? And then he saw them. The big beady yellow eyes glaring back at him. "Oh, Valar."

* * *

When the rangers returned back to the camp, they were still merry from last night's conquest. "I wager twelve silver coins that the elf will make it back by nightfall." Halbarad announced. Astald quipped, "I wager 20 silver coins he will arrive two days hence with three broken limbs." Halbarad narrowed his eyes, "And how can you be so sure that he will return injured?" Astald laughed and looked over to Strider. "I didn't mean him."

Legolas reached for his blades but cursed as he only made purchase on two empty sheaths. The warg saw his hesitation and pounced, pinning its prey under its weight and gnawing violently at its torso, ripping flesh and muscle as easily as tearing paper. This earned a sharp cry from the elf and a satisfied snarl from the beast. In its frenzy it tore the rope around Legolas' hands. He let his arms flail around loosely search the floor for anything that he could find. Anything that would just make this end.

* * *

Nightfall approached and still the elf hadn't returned. Halbarad sighed and then handed over his money.

* * *

Hope was fading fast and so was the elf's strength. He was beginning to give up; he couldn't endure this much longer. And then his hand brushed against something. A rock? He gripped it tightly and summoned his remaining strength. He smashed it into the back of the creature's skull and prayed to Elbereth that it would be enough. One well aimed blow, that was all it took to kill the warg. The struggle subsided and the fight was over. But that was all he had. He was tired. So tired. All he managed was to slide from under the beast before his head rolled back and darkness overcame him.

* * *

When he woke he gasped in pain and hugged his chest. It only took one look to the side at the felled warg beside him for him to remember what had happened.

He painfully rose to his feet but grasped the wall as dots formed in front of his eyes and threatened to send him back to the floor, from where he feared he'd never return from. He wanted to give up, just lie on the floor and stare up at the cave roof. It was easy there, there was no pain. But he knew that he would never forgive himself if anything happened to Strider and he might be the only one able to rescue him. And with this thought, he dragged the first rock from the mouth of the cave.

He did not know how long it had been, but, finally he had made a gap big enough to crawl through. His usually strong, lithe fingers were scratched and bruised from the jagged rocks that obstructed his passage. He dragged himself through the gap and landed in a slumped pile in front of the cave's entrance. Not even the warmth of the sun could comfort him when he did not know what fate had befallen his friends.

When Legolas' strength returned he searched for any trace of where he should go and was surprised to find that his captors had not made any attempts to conceal their tracks. Clutching his torso and steeling his resolve, he staggered in the direction of the footprints.

* * *

It was the dawn of the third day and still the elf had not returned to the camp.

"Be patient Strider," Halbarad said, "He will come." Strider smiled back, but Halbarad knew that his friend was only smiling because he was grateful for the reassuring words. He did not believe them to be true.

A twig snapped mere meters away from the camp, startling the rangers. They unsheathed their swords. Strider advanced in the direction of the noise, with Halbarad and Astald at his side, each adopting fighting stances. The remaining two rangers guarded the camp.

Legolas tensed. He was so close to his captors, but his legs folded beneath him and he plummeted to the forest floor, snapping a twig on landing. They were going to capture him. His consciousness was fleeting as a blurred figure ran towards him and he already succumbed to the darkness before he could hear their cries.

* * *

Strider ran towards his friend and knelt beside him. "Legolas!" he shouted. But the elf did not reply, his head simply slumped into Strider's shoulder. Halbarad walked over to join his chieftain and unconscious friend and firmly grabbed Strider's shoulder, forcing him to look into his eyes. "He is still breathing," he said reassuringly, "but we need to get him back to the camp." Astald joined the others and carefully grasped Legolas' arm and hauled it over his shoulder. He turned to ask Halbarad to do the same but found that he had already mirrored his action, carefully supporting the elf's weight. As they carried Legolas back to the camp, Strider kept a silent vigil over his friend.

* * *

It had been two days since the rangers had discovered Legolas in the forest and he was yet to regain consciousness. Strider busied himself with caring for the elf. He applied athelas and fresh bandages to his friend's hands and torso. Soon, when there was nothing else he could do for Legolas, found himself talking to his friend and begging him to be alright.

Halbarad watched this scene from a distance with a worried frown on his face. "Two days," he whispered to Astald. "Two days and he has yet to regain consciousness."

Astald mirrored his worried frown when he turned to observe Strider. "He has not slept these past two days and he refuses to leave Legolas' side, even to eat".

Halbarad sighed, "I fear we may lose them both".

* * *

On the dawn of the fifth day Legolas finally stirred. He let out a pained yelp and doubled over in pain as he tried to lift himself. A firm hand held his shoulder and gently forced him back down. "Stay down." Legolas heard a familiar voice say. As he settled back down the hand retreated from his shoulder and instead guided his face to the owner of the voice. But he didn't look how Legolas remembered. He had black bags under his eyes and his face was pale and drawn.

"Strider?" He asked. "It is I, mellon nin," Strider replied.

"You look awful." Legolas quipped. Strider could not hold back the grin that spread across his face. "You look worse."

Legolas suddenly became more alert as he remembered what had happened. "Strider, the bandits, what if.." Strider placed his hand back on his friend's shoulder to silence him. "I know," he replied softly. "I'm sorry."

Legolas narrowed his eyes In confusion, "why would you be sorry?", he asked. Strider avoided Legolas' gaze and instead glanced around the clearing. Legolas didn't expect an answer to his question and was surprised when in a voice only discernible to elves he heard, "Because we did it." Striders' head dropped with guilt and sadness at this admission. Legolas didn't have the heart to ask his friend what he meant. So they just sat In companionable silence for the rest of the day.

* * *

On the fifth day Legolas was well recovered and only pale white scars lay testament to his trial. It was on this day that he finally discovered what had happened.

Astald and Halbarad had arrived to tell Strider to get some rest and had practically dragged the man to one of their own sleeping mats, much to his protests. Legolas was grateful for this, and told them as much when they returned to check on him. Strider looked exhausted, he needed some rest. But curiosity was playing on his mind, maybe Halbarad or Astald would know why Strider felt so guilty. So, reluctantly, Halbard told him of the ranger trials. Astald did not expect the emotion that this evoked on Legolas though. The elf smiled. Legolas could see the confused glances on each of their faces and simply replied, "My Ada told me of the infamous ranger trials", "Fool-hardy rangers gallivanting around on secret missions". Halbarad laughed, he had heard the rangers called many things, but fool-hardy seemed to sum them up.

* * *

In the days that followed, Legolas was glad to see that some of the colour had returned to his friend's face and he no longer suffered from being unable to sleep. But Legolas knew that guilt was playing on his friends mind, and, he hoped in time that he would be able to forgive himself. But, in the meantime, he would try and help him along. It was with this thought that Legolas joined the rangers around the campfire, playing with his newly returned blades. "This is going to be fun" he said playfully, practising stabbing motions in the air. The rangers shifted nervously under the elf's gaze. "Men, it has been an honour serving with you", Strider said, mustering as much courage in his voice as he could. With that, he grabbed his sword and ran as fast as he could into the undergrowth, pursued seconds later by a very pleased looking elf.

"Three broken limbs you say," Halbarad proclaimed to Astald "I'd wager four".

* * *

**A/N Review Replies;**

**Gladen-Green-Leaf. I know, I feel sorry for Legolas too. Hope you like the ending and thank you so much for your compliment!**

**Saphira. Ha Ha I wouldn't want to be in their position either! Good predictions, Hope you liked the ending. **


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